My husband and I stayed here for 9 nights in December 2012. The price was unbeatable as we stayed in the lowest costing end type unit without a lanai. We did not have air conditioning either, but we weren't in the room during the daylight hours anyway as the ocean beckoned us to her daily to snorkel and hang with the rays between the two motus where the motu picnics are held (hint: google earth will give you a lay of the island and you can view pictures as well). It may have been nice to cool off the room with air conditioning when going to sleep, but the ceiling fan had 3 speeds, so we were (surprisingly) comfortable in spite of their hot and humid summer. :) The view of the "mountains" in the morning are spectacular and we didn't sleep past 6 am on any morning because of the magesty that was calling us out. BTW, I don't get out of bed before 10 am on the weekends when home. This is important, if you lock your room, allegedly, the electricity is off. However, the refrigerator stays on and this is key. You also may wish to ensure it has proper clearance from the wall to help is run efficiently and keep your stuff cool.

The food served there is very good, and the dining experience followed by nightly walks on the pier are memorable and lovely. We really enjoyed watching the "nopi" fish at night as they skim the water; they are just fun. We even did see sharks right from the pier at night, very cool. We enjoyed watching some shelled creatures sit on the step going into the ocean for snorkelers. They come out only at night--idk what they are--and they are gone every morning. Haavi, our usual waitress is just spectacular fun and she speaks English well. What a lovely person.

We also truly enjoyed Tim, who works the front desk. He was always smiling and trying to help and we hit him up with some crazy questions. Tim is helpful in booking the various tours they offer, and he never steared us wrong. We gave Tim the leftover cat food that Iti kitty didn't get through. I also had wonderful conversations with Kristen, our house keeper, and Teha'ai is warm, kind and great to speak with. I believe he is the head groundskeeper and a real gem. Bottom line, everyone made us feel welcome to THEIR island. HINT: Download a Tahitian handy phrases list from the internet, especially if you don't know French (I tried and failed for 6 weeks). The Tahitians seem genuinely pleased that we tried to speak their language--even when I slaughtered it. Our hosts would grin ear to ear; you can't fake that reaction. We were told it was very appreciated.

We had a feral (?) cat adopt us during our stay, who we named Iti Kitty as she is small (Tahitian "small" is "iti") gray and striped. She went to sleep with us every night and we left the door a little (aka iti) open so she could leave when she wanted to, usually around midnight. I have the most precious picture of her and my husband virtually nose to nose. Iti Kitty is a friendly varmint.

We also did feed the chickens on the property as part of our breakfast ritual. The french bread is cheap at market, so that was a great start to every morning--feeding our Iti Kitty and the poultry-while the sun rose and lit more of the valley while we ate local fruit and brie and watched the sun rise. I miss those scerene mornings.

I think the hotel grounds are great and the atmosphere is perfect. I have recommended this hotel to our friends. In getting a cheaper room on a gorgeous island, we afforded a rental car for our trip--which was wonderfully convenient and gas wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Oh yes, there is a small sandy beach at the Kaveka as well. We snorkeled off of the pier though, so I didn't actually us the beach itself. Hint, when snorkeling, go under the pier as the fish hide there to cool off I suppose. We saw many differnt types off fish right there at the hotel. It was an awesome way to start our daily activities and it is so convenient to get into that gorgeous lagoon you flew for too many hours to see. :)

If you are frugal and seek value, this is your spot!!! Beatiful grounds, good food, help with excursions so you don't miss the highlights, warm and friendly staff, clean lodging, ability to snorkel right at your hotel via the pier all made me love Kaveka. Plus, I suspect you are supporting these folks on a more local level as opposed to a mega resort. I love to support local when I can.

Have fun!

bungalows clean, spacious, with fridge and safe(charge). sliding patio door to covered terrace on most(good in thunderstorms) with wooden easy chairs and table. plenty of storage space, flat screen tv(only french language channels of course!).
ac available in mine at an additional charge. only problem a smell from sink/shower when first used in the morning which eased after half an hour or so
right on cooks bay, small beach but crystal clear water.
supermarket about 15 minutes walk also restaurants/cafes/atm/other shops etc
bus stop at property on both sides of road but very limited public transport. basically meets fast ferry (sometimes, but not always, traditional ferry) so leaves about 40 mins before fast ferry and arrives about 20 minutes after arrival to go to the other resort areas.
does not provide a round the island service, you need to rent a bike, car(expensive) or scooter or hitch (mostly successfully) to get around.
taxis very expensive - xpf 2500 (about GBP£ 18) for the approx 5km to ferry terminal
food in restaurant very good and reasonably priced. they offered me a xpf 5500 (GPB£ 37) half board deal which included a three course dinner with a glass of wine - and you could order anything off the menu.
restaurant on stilts on reef - great fun watching maelstrom of fish fighting for remnants of breakfast french bread. jetty extends to edge of reef where you can watch lots of multicoloured fish.
there is a real local community in the area - some evenings they were practicing dragon boat races in the bay.

I stayed 6 nights in a Lanai Bungalow (the least expensive option). The Hotel Kaveka is on Cook’s Bay and the view of bay and mountains is lovely. On the North side of reception there is no beach per se. You can dive off the pier or ease yourself into the bay from the retaining wall. There is some sand and loungers. On the south side of reception there is a very small beach area - maybe 30 feet. I rented a bike at the hotel ($10US for 4 hours) and you are about a 30 minute leisurely and safe bike ride to the Sofitel’s magnicent beach. Just turn left at the sign for Plage Tamae (if you start to climb the steep hill, you’ve gone too far). Wear sunscreen, bring water, but it is an option to get to one of the best beaches and views in all FP.

Upon arrival I was shown to my lanai bungalow. These have no air conditioning. The cieling fan did the job for an October visit, but may not be so good in the hotter season (although the room temperature reached 32 inside), but there is often a breeze. The receptionist informed me that if I wanted to use the safe it was $6 per day, but really wasn’t necessary, just keep doors and windows locked. After settling in, I noticed the window would not close tight enough to lock and the sliding glass door had a gap as much as an inch or more at the bottom. A ten year old could have gotten the door open if they didn’t figure out the window opened. I brought this up to reception and she said she woudl talk to ‘the fix it guy’. The next day she asked me if it had been fixed. I said no. Neither got fixed during my stay - granted it would not have been an easy fix in my opinion. I’m passive aggressive so just kept my valuables with me when leaving the bunalow. This is my only complaint of my entire stay. I’m pretty sure that if I pressed, they would have moved me or given me the safe for free.

I was more concerned about mosquitos getting in through the gap until I noticed the entire top of the bugalow is bordered by slats (only in the lanai bungalows, the other bungalows are solid). Mosquitos were not a big problem, but bring bug spray and they provide mosquito coils, but no matches. If you have issues with geckos crawling on the wall, then the lanai bungalow is not for you. They don’t bother me. The Garden and Beach bunalows don’t have slats because of the a/c. Bring ear plugs for anywhere in FP as the roosters announce sunrise of everytime zone on the planet!

The staff always remembered my name and said hello and were very friendly. It’s not a big place, and wasn’t full, but I was still shocked that staff, who I had not met, knew my room number when charging stuff. I ate in the restaurant every day which is very reasonably priced for FP - not much more than North America which surprised me. I had the three course ‘tourist menu’ one night which was $35US. A cheesburger and fires is $14. Service was fast, friendly and efficient. The setting is absolutely fantastic, surrounded by water on three sides.

Internet is very expensive, $7/half hour. All rooms have refrigerators and town is a 20 minute walk or 5 minute bike ride. There is a great supermarket with most anything you would need at reasonable price. It can really save you some money.

My room had a king bed and a single bed, large shower and separate WC. It wasn’t spotless, a few hairs on the linen, many spider webs, but the bathroom and shower were very clean. Also, remember that the lanai’s have those slats at the top perimeter (for cooling), so every bug can get in. Overall the room was dated and needed some work (2 of the 5 lights in main room did not work and one of two bathroom lights did not work)....but remember $75!

Bottom line: if you are looking for that iconic view, ultimate pampered, luxury or semi luxury holiday resort with pool and a beautiful big beach, this might not be the place for you. But if you are on a budget and willing to compromise on beach and a few amenities, this is outstanding value. Had I not had 4 nights booked at Sofitel in Bora Bora on a 1/2 over water bungalow, I would have absorbed the cost paid at Kaveka and moved for 3 nights to a more luxurious location to get that iconic experience (at about 5 times the price), but for a budget traveller, Hotel Kaveka is great. I might recommend paying a bit more to stay in the garden or beach bungalows though just so you are not dealing with the insects and have some a/c.

We stayed at Hotel Kaveka for 7 nights. We stayed in the beachside bungalow and we all really really enjoyed the stay. It was like having a massive reef aquarium right out your doorstep. And the dramatic views of Cook's Bay only adds to the feeling of isolation and tropical relaxation. Greg, the owner, is very nice and the staff is adequate enough. We accepted the meal plan as the hotel is not really within walking distance (for kids) of any other restaurants. The food was worth 3 stars, but there is a large selection for any palate. The clientele was mainly French, which is great because then you actually get the sense of being in French Polynesia. It was almost always quiet after 9pm, even though we were right next to the restaurant. And i do not think the value can be beat. We had a special deal where the room was 50% off with the meal plan. For a family of four, this was a good deal. And again, there was unlimited, easily accessible snorkeling.

The wildlife you can see is just awesome. Excellent tropical fish and a reef wall just off the dock. Some examples of things i saw are shown, but also beautiful Lemonpeel Angel Fish, Bannerfish, several types of Butterfly fish, including the Ornate butterfly, there is a fish cleaning station just off the reef where larger fish get cleaned by wrasse. From the dock you can see massive sea cucumbers, a 40cm starfish that visits, several types of triggerfish, beautiful sea urchins -- i even saw a lionfish and a sea turtle. Also, along the sea wall you can find small puffers and even filefish, which are related to sea horses. The fauna is outstanding.